‘25 per cent of diabetics in Pakistan lose their vision every year’

Blindness is on the rise in the country as thousands of people are facing vision loss annually after developing cataracts, glaucoma and other eye conditions which can be prevented by avoiding and controlling diabetes, hypertension, quitting smoking and getting timely treatment, said eye experts at a conference late Saturday night.

“As many as 25 per cent diabetics lose their vision annually in Pakistan, which is a large number, while as many people face loss of vision due to cataract and glaucoma,” said Dr Sharif Hashmani, a leading ophthalmologist while speaking at the sidelines of 4th Pioneering Innovations in Ophthalmology (PIO) conference.

Prominent ophthalmologists from across the country spoke at the conference, jointly organised by Hashmanis Group of Hospitals and Ophthalmic Society of Pakistan (OSP). They discussed the different innovations in the treatment of eye diseases, use of modern techniques including Optical Coherence Tomography and observed that through latest imaging techniques and machine-assisted technology, complicated surgeries could easily be performed now to save the vision of thousands of people in the country.

A gold medal was awarded on the occasion to eminent eye specialist Dr Niaz Ahmed Brohi for his services in the field of ophthalmology and especially for performing more 9,500 corneal transplants. A young doctor from Aga Khan University Hospital Dr Sidra Zafar was awarded a cash prize of Rs50,000 for presenting the best paper at the conference.

Speaking as the chief guest, Director General International Relations at College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) Prof Khalid Masood Gondal said that the country is facing an acute shortage of trained and qualified ophthalmologists.

Quoting World Health Organization recommendations, he said that 100,000 eye specialists are needed, but at the moment there are only 30,000 working in the country and only a few hundred specialising in the emerging field of paediatric ophthalmology.

He added that CPSP was trying its best to overcome the shortage by motivating young doctors in the field of ophthalmology.

According to Prof Gondal, female doctors were enthusiastically joining the field and he urged them to get a specialisation in the emerging field of paediatric ophthalmology to prevent blindness among children.

Prof Sharif Hashmani, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hashmanis Group of Hospitals, said diabetes had emerged as the leading cause of loss of vision among Pakistanis. “There are over 26 per cent diabetics in Pakistan, of which 25 per cent lose their vision due to uncontrolled diabetes and its complications. Fortunately, diabetes is an avoidable disease or it can be managed and controlled through medicines and a healthy lifestyle,” Dr Hashmani said.

He urged people to adopt a healthy lifestyle to avoid getting diabetes and hypertension, the biggest causes of blindness in Pakistan at the moment and urged people to approach trained and qualified doctors in case of any vision-related problems. To a query, he said excessive use of 4th generation antibiotics was another problem causing drug-resistant eye diseases in Pakistan where bacterial infections are not longer responding to drugs. He urged doctors not to prescribe 4th generation antibiotics to patients and urged people to avoid self-medication.

Another leading ophthalmologist and former president of Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) Dr Misbahul Aziz said another common cause of blindness in Pakistan is cataract or motiya which is caused aging, diabetes, hypertension and smoking. He urged people to approach doctors before it gets too late and they start losing their vision at the hands of an easily treatable disease.